Sometimes the nerd in me thinks it would be amazing to set up a time lapse camera on the veggies so I can literally see them grow so fast. Dug up the strawberries because they were old and not producing as much. Replaced them with more tomatoes because why the hell not? 🙂

I can’t believe how much they’ve grown.Ooohhh. They’re getting big!I suspect I’m going to regret the spacing and staking on this bed. These get a little less sun so it will be interesting to see how that affects them.Lots of blossoms! Wee Brussels sprouts.More tomatoes still to plant.Romaine going strong! We’ve been eating off of them. Broccoli is growing slowly this year.The iceberg is growing. Amazing how much greener is is when it’s not grown in a hothouse. More asparagus continues to come up. This spot gets sun 10+ hours a day, which the peppers should love.

Crazy herb bed.The Scorpion Red Hots doubled in size while we were out of town for the weekend. Not sure this spot gets enough sun because the maple tree has grown so much. Sweet corn! Peas in a Pot.

I went with something totally different for the porch planters this year. Black and cream Wave petunias, Celosia and sweet potato vine. The welcome basket in the background was a gift from the staff at Long Beach. They’ve been a big part of our lives for the past 12 years. It’s hard to believe we won’t have a kid there next year.That purple plant in the middle is another kind of sweet potato vine. I’ve never seen one that color before.Sweet Rylee picked this out for me on her last day with me.

The first strawberry of the year. (I didn’t share.)Green beans and carrots are coming up!Romaine and iceberg is growing well. Brussels sprouts and more broccoli planted.I love lilacs. We have three different varieties planted so we have blooms for about six weeks every spring.Since I hope to be growing stuff in the cold frame for most of the year, I didn’t want to have to walk in the mud so I put in stepping stones today. The bright green plants on the right is creeping Jenny. In front of the cold frame is Wooly Thyme. It should fill in around the bricks completely and can be walked on. The asparagus is really growing. I had no idea this is what it looks like when you don’t pick it.Lots of wee peppers and tomatillos. The weigelas in full bloom.Blurry photo but I’m really liking how this bed is filling in. The cilantro is going crazy. Chives blooming on the left.

Two summers ago I put in a small bed of sedum around them mailbox. The ones right next to the street didn’t survive. I’m pretty sure the salt the village uses on our streets killed them so I’m leaving that spot empty.

A friend of mine moved into a new house and is changing out her landscaping. She offered rocks for free so we made two trips and loaded up the van. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but I ended up doubling the size of this bed and putting rocks all the way around. There are a few more from our favorite island on Birch Lake, but the rest are from her.

That tiny tree is an oak that the village planted last year to replace our ash tree. It’s ridiculously small and since oaks grow very slowly, we probably won’t be around to see it as a proper tree, but at least there’s something there.

I added more sedum from the nursery as well as more stonecrop from the Master Gardener’s sale. The flowers are all annuals. I’m hoping that miracle starter helps them perk up a bit. They’re looking pretty anemic.

After a lovely breakfast in bed served by the kids, I had just enough time to plant tomatoes before we had to shower and go to Emma and Andy’s orchestra concert.

This is a new variety of Roma tomato. Can’t wait to see if it lives up to the hype. After digging a hole, I add a pinch of ground up eggshells. The calcium helps prevent blossom end rot.Fill the hole with water so the roots get a good drink right away.

Fill

I remove most of the leaves and plant two thirds of the stem underground. This allows the plant to grow even more roots and makes them stronger and healthier. All planted. I also trim any leaves to keep the from touching the ground to prevent any diseases from spreading to the plant. I’ve never used this before, but my dad swears by this when transplanting so I’m giving it a try this year.

Quick tour of the rest of some of the garden.

The Romaine is doing well. Can’t wait for the first Caesar salad. The iceberg lettuce is starting to form heads. Doesn’t this look different that the white crap you buy at the store. I might be kidding myself, but I bet this is a little healthier. The asparagus is up! I planted dry roots a couple of weeks ago. Lots and lots of peppers!